Ross From Friends - Aphelion

Ross From Friends - Aphelion
Felix Clary Weatherall's music has a welcoming sound palette. His soft textures and passive melodies earn him as many detractors as they do fans. But it's hard to imagine even the most stubborn of critics taking issue with "Don't Wake Dad," the track that opens the London artist's debut for Brainfeeder. Like the best Ross From Friends tunes, it's a shimmering oasis of sounds designed to evoke nostalgia. Divas wail, a saxophone drops some choice leads and the drums pitter-patter in a slower, more graceful pattern than the 4/4 thump of his other records. It's as if Weatherall has found his muse.

Aphelion reveals a new dimension to Weatherall's sound. "John Cage," a holdover from a casual hip-hop project he used to do with an old friend, is just as inspired as "Don't Wake Dad." Mixing drowsy spoken word, schmaltzy electric piano and mushmouthed rapping, it pulls you in with a luscious and lazy atmosphere. Even the house tracks on the B-side feel like a step up. "There's A Hole In My Heart" and "March" sound wounded, cutting deeper than the occasional canned emotions of Weatherall's past work. They wearily drag their feet at 124 BPM, with lush instrumental additions that provide gorgeously wistful moods. It's all part of a deeper and more intriguing Ross From Friends.

More on Ross From Friends

Having recently made his inaugural outing on Brainfeeder with “Aphelion EP”, British producer Ross From Friends aka Felix Clary Weatherall returns with his debut album, “Family Portrait”, on Flying Lotus’s label.
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